Walt Disney World has seen its fair share of hurricanes and tropical storms. Thanks to this, Disney has precautions in place to keep the parks, guests, and Cast Members safe.
Storm clouds
But, have you ever wondered about the best places to STAY during a hurricane or tropical storm in Disney World? We’ve got some tips for you here!
A Walt Disney World hotel is one of the safest places you can be when a hurricane or tropical storm hits the Orlando, Florida area. Many locals even choose to leave their homes to stay at a Disney hotel during a hurricane or tropical storm because Disney buildings are engineered to withstand winds and weather that some local area homes may not be able to handle.
Wilderness Lodge
The likelihood that the resorts will still have electricity, running water, and food is pretty high. And sometimes Disney will even lift their pet bans so that guests’ furry friends can join them while they hunker down throughout the storm. (Note that there are a few resorts that always allow pets, including Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, Disney’s Yacht Club Resort, Disney’s Port Orleans Resort — Riverside, and the Cabins at Fort Wilderness Resort.)
A rainy day in Animal Kingdom
It’s also nice to stay at a Disney hotel during a storm because Cast Members will be there to assist guests with their needs. Disney generally does their best to create a bit of magic by bringing in characters and having fun games in the lobby. Sounds like a pretty nice place to ride out a hurricane, right?
Disney’s Yacht Club Resort
While all resorts will strive to take care of their guests to the best of their ability, there are a few specific attributes that some resort hotels have that make them the winners when considering your booking options during hurricane season.
Indoor Access to the Lobby, Restaurants, and Shops
If your resort room offers you safe, enclosed access routes to the hotel lobby, restaurants, and shops, that means you’ll have many more options during the storm when it comes to food, activities, and amenities than guests who have to stay cloistered in their resort hotel rooms.
If your resort hotel room requires you to walk outside to get to the lobby, there will likely be at least several hours during the storm that you won’t be able to leave your room to reach food, water, and other necessities.
Many Polynesian Village Resort rooms do not have access to the lobby during severe storms
This attribute would rule out most of Disney World’s value and moderate resorts, as most of them have the majority, if not all, of their hotel rooms in external buildings. While a few other resorts do have walkways that will give you a bit more cover when walking to the lobby, some hotels like Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort do not.
Access to a Kitchenette or Full Kitchen in Your Resort Accommodations
Another thing to think about is possibly choosing a hotel with a kitchenette or full kitchen in the room. It’s easy to become hungry and stir-crazy during a storm, and having a fridge and some sort of microwave or other cooking option will at least give you the opportunity to stock up on a few things and have some meals while you wait for the storm to pass.
Kitchenette
In this category, you’re looking primarily for family suites or Disney Vacation Club Villas.
A full kitchen at the Grand Floridian DVC villas
If you stay in a one-bedroom or larger villa, you’ll also generally have access to an in-room washer and dryer for all your laundry needs. This can come in very handy, especially if the storm has required you to extend your stay a few days longer than you had anticipated (All Disney resorts have laundry facilities available for guests, but some may not have them within indoor walking distance from your room).
So Which Disney Resorts Could Be Great Choices During a Hurricane or Tropical Storm?
Taking into consideration the indoor access to the lobby, restaurants, and shops; and the access to a kitchen or kitchenette in your room; we think two great choices for Hurricane Season in Disney World would be Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas and the Copper Creek Villas in the Main Building at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge (note that Boulder Ridge Villas and the Copper Creek Cabins are located in external buildings).
Kidani Village
Note that most Deluxe Disney resorts also have high-end suite options in their main buildings that may offer both indoor access to restaurants and the lobby as well as kitchenettes or kitchens.
While all Disney resort hotels will do their best to keep you safe, fed, and watered during a hurricane or tropical storm moving through Orlando, some will offer a bit more comfort than others! We hope these tips help you as you plan your upcoming trips to Disney World, particularly those that are right in the heart of Hurricane Season.
Storm Clouds
Looking for tips and tricks on handling hurricanes and bad weather in Disney World, or just more information in general? Be sure to check out the following links.
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And check out our video below to see how to survive Disney World weather and hurricane season!
We’ll continue to keep an eye out for more information as hurricane season approaches and let you know what we find. Stay tuned for all the latest info!
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Hadn’t they moved guests out of Copper Creek in preparation for Dorian?
We stayed 3 nights at the Boardwalk during hurricane Irma. The resort cast were wonderful. They put on buffets in the convention rooms for a very good price. They had bag lunch meals. No loss of power or tv or internet. They gave us a very good price. They never missed a beat. People were there with their dogs which was great. Even had a puppy parade and games in the lobby. They really shined.
In 2004, we stayed at POFQ and Wilderness Lodge during 3 out of 4 hurricanes that hit Florida that year. We drove up from Miami and I never felt so safe during these storms than being on Disney property. The building codes on their hotels exceed that of the laws of the State of Florida, so one can be assured that they will be secure in their room.
At POFQ, we always seeked a room near to the food court and it was an easy walk under the building’s awaning. At Wilderness you don’t have to step outside to get a bite to eat.
The most damage at either resort I ever saw was the downing of branches. Once the hurricanes were out of reach, the debris was removed and parks opened. So it turned out to be a positive by obtaining a mini vacation to boot. I highly recommend to anyone in Florida that needs to seek refuge, this is the best and only place to be.
Are you sure about the pet policies at the resorts you mentioned? My entire family (Kids and grandkids included) are coming to the Art of Animation for Christmas but the WDW Kennels are booked up and I’m having trouble finding a place for my new Pup. Would be great if this true. Please let me know. Thanks
Doug, click here to find info about pet-friendly Resorts (Art of Animation is included!)!
Rachel, they did.
We just stayed at Gran Destino at Coronado Springs Resort during the hurricane and this was also a great option for those looking for something more affordable. They had everything we needed and we were allowed to bring a pet bird.
I was at the Contemporary for a work-related conference when Hurricane Michael hit a few years ago. I had planned to move over to Pop Century following the conference but the hurricane had other ideas. They extended my stay at the Contemp by two days at my conference rate. I was in the garden rooms so not completely attached but still easy access to the main building after the worst of the storm. I was able to stock up on lunchables etc before the storm but then afterwards they gave guests access to Chef Mickey’s buffet for like $16 but you had to sit at the Contempo Cafe. Also, they converted several of the conference rooms into a theatre and showed movies all day and had various games for families to play and the characters came out and were sitting around on the floor playing with kids. They handled everything so well!
Don’t forget the military guests staying at Shades of Green.
I was staying at SoG during Charlie, and I felt very safe at the resort. Food was available for guests to purchase and the staff made sure that everyone was safe and had whatever they needed. During the full force of the storm, the building was just like a fortress.
Since SoG is military, they do a few things differently from Disney resorts. On the day Charlie hit, many guests had already checked out of their rooms and since flights were canceled, they were able to “camp out” in the huge lobby until the storm passed and air traffic resumed.
In so many vacations during hurricane season, that was the first time I was in WDW during a hurricane. I was impressed by every Cast Member I encountered and always felt safe during the storm, as well as after it was over.
Ret, thank you for sharing your experience.
We stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge during Irma in 2016. It was like a fortress. Never lost power or cable TV, staff was great, characters were in the lobby every day to entertain the kids.
The pet policy was loosened an many animals were welcome. I think they treat this on a storm-by-storm basis.
Best of all, Boma was the only restaurant allowed to operate, so they lowered the price and made it an all-day buffet. Suffice to say, we did not go hungry.
Our family stayed at the port orleans riverside one year when there was a hurricane and the trees are bent over looking like the letter l and winds were extremely bad debrie was on the grounds the night b 4 we were informed about it and had flashlights placed n our rooms and were able to keep n contact with messages on our room phones from Disney about the hurricane and were given time to go to the food courts to get coolers and food a head of time and we were very safe Disney and Disney did a great job of caring for us we had connecting rooms and bought cards and snacks and we played cards and the next day all the debrie was gone and would have known a hurricane came thru so if anyone is ever concerned when Staying at disney if a hurricane or severe weather comes thru don’t worried they will n sure u r safe and take good safety measures to keep u safe no worries
Me and my family are huge fans and annual pass holders at both Disney and Universal. FYI all of the Lowes hotels at Universal are pet friendly. There is a one time ( not daily) $100 pet fee. On arrival they give each pet a blanket, water bowl, foot bowl, and treat. For people staying during a hurricane I think that all of the resorts have a parking structure — which would prevent car damage.
In contrast most of the Disney resorts have exclusively outdoor parking lots with abundant trees — which puts your vehicle at significant risk for damage during a major storm.
During Ian in Sept, the underground parking at Kidani Village was definitely a big plus. We could still easily and safely get to our car. I believe it is the only resort on property to have this amenity.